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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27787372">Save all my ribbons</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurderRose/pseuds/%C3%86lffl%C3%A6d'>Ælfflæd (MurderRose)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>6+1, A smattering of, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not quite sure what this is, Other, Shade, Trope Smashing, Worldbuilding, a peppering of, and a dusting of, and if you know me—part six is not at all a surprise, but it is, oh and i suppose it's only genteel to tag, with</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:26:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27787372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurderRose/pseuds/%C3%86lffl%C3%A6d</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jeonghan and Mingyu confound the public, the private and at times, potentially each other.</p><p> </p><p>My gyuhan with a twist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Mingyu &amp; Yoon Jeonghan, Kim Mingyu/Yoon Jeonghan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Save all my ribbons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was going for a ... well you'll see.  It's definitely cute?  Plot?  I mean.  It's there?  Maybe?  Wispy.  </p><p> </p><p>Mingyu and Jeonghan do not go feral once a month as far as I know, so we can all safely assume this is fiction and they are not mine.  However, if you have insights, please ring the hotline.  08X-XXXXXX9.  Sightings eagerly awaited.</p><p> </p><p>Title sort of from Leonard Cohen's Bird on a Wire and most certainly ties in with courting traditions in this verse (which aren't in here but are without a doubt, alive and well in my head).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Haon</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alpha?” Mingyu murmured into Jeonghan’s ear from his perch on his lap.  He’d landed himself there earlier, exhausted and overwhelmed, curled into Jeonghan’s lap, tears welling up in his eyes, trying to make himself smaller.  Jeonghan had just tilted his neck so he could get some sort of comfort from his scent, and rubbed his back.  Trusting that he’d tell him what was wrong at some stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m here, do you want to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leader said I’m not to call you Alpha anymore.”  The words were barely spoken and Jeonghan stilled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nodded and tears wet Jeonghan’s skin.  He rubbed circles on Mingyu’s back and he knew his scent flared into something sharp and pungent, but Mingyu just nuzzled closer.  Pleased he was pissed, Jeonghan supposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he say why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’not appropriate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to him.  You can call me whatever you want sweetheart.  Especially Alpha.  I’ll deal with Cheol-ah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu scrunched up a little, fisting Jeonghan’s shirt and pressing his lips to his scent gland.  Jeonghan concentrated and tried to mellow it, changing it into something more soothing, reassuring, more like home.  Mingyu’s scent changed slowly in response, blooming into something happier, something more settled.  Exhausted, but settled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How dare Seungcheol police that.  There were very few things that felt like home to Mingyu and Jeonghan.  This group wasn’t a pack, everyone was very clear on that.  Even their shower products had to be scent stripping.  Individuality was prime—individuality and synchronicity.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Betas didn’t get it.  Not really.  And especially not if they were beta’s children.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan held Mingyu tighter and nuzzled his cheek, “Sleep with me tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nodded and pulled slowly away, “But Leader?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.  If we’re not in public tomorrow, can you scent me in the morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For two boys whose very life had revolved around scent and pack and ritual, this was hard.  There was no need for Seungcheol to make it any harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, love.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Dó</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alpha!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan whirled around from where he’d been talking to Jihoon, the panic in Mingyu’s voice along with the fact that Jeonghan could actually smell his scent from across the room, sparked something primal.  He was talking to Seungcheol, face white and Jeonghan sighed, touched Jihoon on the shoulder and wove around the other members.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re alright.  I’m here.  Take three breaths for me please,” Jeonghan squished himself between them, hands on Mingyu’s waist and eyes on his.  Mingyu looked like he wanted to fold himself up and hide in his chest.  “That’s it.  Deep breaths, baby.”  Jeonghan let his scent ooze from his skin, wrapping Mingyu in a bubble of safety.  It was rare that Mingyu got scared and Jeonghan wasn’t pleased that Seungcheol seemed to be the cause.  He kept ignoring him until Mingyu smelt balanced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned around and felt Mingyu leech onto his back, hiding in his neck.  “Seungcheol-ah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already said to Mingyu, you two are inappropriate.  You can’t do the dynamic thing.  It makes some of us uncomfortable.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You make us uncomfortable too, don’t you care about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t.  We don’t do anything, Jeonghan-ah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nobody smells the same.” Mingyu whispered.  Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at Seungcheol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People aren’t supposed to smell the same Gyu-ya.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, but we're going to have to disagree.  We’re from packs.  I know you’re not, that most of you betas are new-wave monofamily, single unit betas.  But we’re none of that.  At home we all sleep together, nobody smells unique, everyone smells safe, like home.  And everyone is their dynamic.  I didn’t know anybody’s names until I was seven.  Neither of us do anything particularly dynamic, goodness knows we could be more strict.  I think Mingyu would even prefer a more dynamic existence—”  Mingyu nuzzled closer, hands on Jeonghan’s, nose on his gland, Jeonghan dared Seungcheol to comment, “—I would too, to be perfectly honest, but we don’t out of respect for your sensitivities.  But you can’t say that he can’t call me Alpha or that I can’t call him Omega if I wish.  It isn’t hurting anybody, why can’t you let us have that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not good for our image.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But people do that in real life—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People swear in real life, we don’t swear on camera.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t say that we can’t scent each other when we don’t have to be in public, and you can’t make us stop being affectionate.  Everyone does that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re an alpha, and he’s an omega,” Seungcheol dragged a hand over his face, “It’s just, you can’t do this anymore.  Stop with the dynamics, stop with the scenting, stop with the cuddling.  Just, stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do with my sister, or Mingyu wouldn’t do with his.  Or our friends, if you want opposite dynamic examples.”  Jeonghan was slowly getting pissed off, why couldn’t Seungcheol understand that this wasn’t a game for them, it was their lives. Only the fact that Jeonghan knew Seungkwan and Minghao were scent sensitive meant that his scent wasn’t beating Seungcheol in the face at that moment, it wasn’t even leaving his skin, but it was going right into Mingyu’s nose, and he purred.  Albeit quietly and he cut himself off as soon as he heard himself, but he still purred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was like waving a red flag at a bull and Seungcheol flipped.  His scent exploded out from his skin, racing around the room in an angry mess and Jeonghan spied Minghao bending over, coughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mingyu-ya, will you go and get Minghao and Seungkwan out of the room, please?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu didn’t move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu let go with a press of his lips to Jeonghan’s scent gland and bounded across the room, pulling Minghao gently to his side and taking Seungkwan’s hand.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan waited til they were out of the room to turn back to Seungcheol.  “How dare you?”  He cut him off in mid tirade.  “You know we have scent sensitive members, how dare you do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungcheol spluttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scent control is easy <em>Leader</em>, we have to exercise 100 times more control than you do.  And we never slip up when we’re awake.  Ever.  And Jihoonie’s family dynamic address.  Hell, when he’s tired, he calls me Alpha.  Joshua ends up scenting me at least once a week.  How is it fair that we can’t do it but they can?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone was staring, or Not Staring, but Jeonghan couldn’t care less.  This was his life, Mingyu’s life.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungcheol blushed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan scoffed.  “As and Os can be friends without sex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But his heat!  On tour!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan cocked his head, “Yes?”  There’d been a particularly attractive alpha in their hotel and that combined with a light bout of food poisoning and jet lag had sent Mingyu into a premature heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungcheol waved his hand and Jeonghan took a deep breath, he couldn’t possibly mean that.  “Christ Seungcheol, you’ve watched too much porn.  Review your sex ed classes and ask someone else.  Do you actually—I don’t want to know.  If you realised what you just implied—Get over yourself.”  Jeonghan shook his head and walked over to open the windows.  And people said dynamics were irrational.</span>
  <strong><br/>
</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alpha?  We’re over here,”  Mingyu called when Jeonghan was near their nook on the third floor—as if he couldn't smell them.  Minghao was curled in Mingyu’s lap, nose pressed into the hollow of his throat, the three of them sitting under an open window.  Mingyu reached back for his wrist, tugging him close, “Is it over?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For now, yeah.  Seungcheol thinks we’re having sex, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!”  Mingyu screeched, “I’m—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you are.” Jeonghan sank down onto the window seat beside them, pulling his scent tighter to his skin and patting Seungkwan’s knee as the beta breathed slowly through a distiller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alpha would kill you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know they would, and you know I would never.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How could he think that?  I’m promised?!”  Mingyu’s voice reached the higher end of his belt and he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan rubbed Minghao’s back on the way to brush Mingyu’s hair off his forehead, “I think he’s watched too much porn.  He thought we had heatsex in America.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu groaned, “You would be burned and scattered, you know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And rightly so.  I don’t think he realises the significance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The significance?”  Seungkwan pulled the distiller away from his mouth for a split second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m engaged basically, provided I don’t meet my scent match.  And to have heat sex off the bat is rape.  If Alpha had, my entire pack would have killed him.  Within their rights.  My pack likes burning alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?  Eomma prefers a drowning.  One of my cousins, five years ago,” Jeonghan crossed his heart briefly, “We did death by a thousand cuts and Eomma threw such a fit later on, said a nice drowning would have worked better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minghao pulled back, “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not.  Betas take rape seriously enough, but for us, you take someone’s bond if you have heatsex with them.  It’s—you can’t make a new bond unless you’re widowed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We call it a cull.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“90% of times it works, the bond dies with the perpetrator.  But in 10% of cases, like my cousin—”  Mingyu reached out to press fingers against Jeonghan’s neck, “The bond remains and kills them.  Usually if it’s been fertile; she was pregnant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alpha.” Mingyu whispered and Jeonghan shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was five years ago.  If Seungcheol knew what he’d implied, maybe he wouldn’t have said it so casually.  The amount of times I’ve helped omegas with heats, I have like 15 omega cousins—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I have seven alpha cousins and they’re so whiny, like shut up and scent me and go to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan laughed, “Heatsex is literally for bonding or making a baby.  Like why would you put yourself through that otherwise.  I don’t know a single couple who do it for any other reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Neither do I.  Like that’s just disgusting?  Why would you do that if you don’t have to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think, well I know for me,” Seungkwan took the distiller away and folded it up, “our sex ed was beta-centric.  With, like, ‘take classes if you date a dynamic’ as an addendum.  But any alpha omega stuff I’ve seen has been TV.”</span>
</p><p>Mingyu pursed his lips, "I don't know why that surprises me, its not as if we're a decent sized part of the population or anything."</p><p>"Thirty-five percent last time I checked.  But enough about that."  Jeonghan sighed and tilted his head back against the window.  There was a reason why they were in the group after all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Trí</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mingyu looked on worriedly as Jeonghan made mistake after mistake after mistake.  The director was getting fed up and their managers were getting irritated.  Jeonghan wasn’t like this, and especially not in MV recording.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could do anything that might help a tiny bit, Jihoon was marching across the set, practically roaring “ALPHA!” at Jeonghan who stopped, snapped his head around and took several steps back.  “You’re better than this!  Get a grip!  We have to have this done today and not next year, so take a deep breath, focus yourself and do your goddamned job, alpha, or so help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan nodded several times, taking in several gulps of air and Mingyu realised that Jihoon must be doing that thing where he pretended he was angry so he had an excuse to be oozing scent.  Although, he probably was angry, at least a little bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan nailed the dance on the next attempt and there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the room.  He bowed to the staff and beelined for Mingyu, dropping down beside him and burying his nose into his throat.  Mingyu just arched his neck, hummed quietly and let his scent leak from his skin.  The answering rumble reverberated through his body and Jeonghan sagged into him a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did really well, alpha,” Mingyu whispered, “That was a hard move, we’re all proud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan buried himself closer, and Mingyu looked around the room, Seungcheol was filming, and tugged Jeonghan into his lap, cuddling him close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can go out and eat after this, there’s a place nearby, Eunwoo-ya mentioned it when he was here last month.  Apparently they do great burgers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan nodded, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s happening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu had an inkling.  They’d been shuttled from hotel to hotel, unfamiliar scents, unfamiliar beds, unfamiliar people.  Omegas were adaptable to a certain degree, but alphas were home birds.  They needed familiarity.  Forget about nesting omegas, alphas nested all the time.  They just never called it that.  “We’ll be home tomorrow, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan, if he’d been an omega Mingyu would have called that a whine.  Mingyu laughed and tugged Jeonghan closer, dragging his jaw along Jeonghan’s cheek and down his neck, nuzzling into his scent gland.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay with me tonight, hyung won’t mind, he’ll stay with Minnie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not allowed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just me or change rooms at all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Managers said not you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu hissed, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan's shoulders protectively, he did so hate—.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it you two,” Wonwoo sighed, flapping his hand in their general direction.  “You’re scenting up the whole space.  Control yourselves, please.  No PDA in the workplace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan pulled back and slipped off Mingyu’s lap, whine ripping itself from his throat but Wonwoo nodded, satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.  We’re heading back in an hour apparently.  Dinner in my room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu looked up at him, “Hyung?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Junnie suggested pizza?" Wonwoo added lightly, the beginnings of a blush dusting his cheeks, "Everyone else is going out for chicken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good Wonwoo-ya, thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo nodded and smiled, "Of course, if you perhaps, ate beforehand, we still had pizza this evening."  And then he walked away. </span>
</p><p>Mingyu raised an eyebrow after him and then turned to Jeonghan, "Did he just?"</p><p>Jeonghan twisted himself back into Mingyu's neck, "Yep."</p><p>"Did he just?"</p><p>"For us or for himself, that is the question."</p><p>"What?  Hyung?  And Jun-hyung?" Mingyu looked up and over to Jun, laughing at something one of the cameramen had said.  "Really?"</p><p>"I have no idea.  But I am going to let them believe whatever they want, can we please just scent?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, we can nest, it'll be fun." Mingyu nodded, already planning what food he was going to order, which comfort nesting film he'd put on—okay maybe he needed familiarity too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Ceathair</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan paused mid sentence, the need to check on something tugging at the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeonghan-ah?” Wonsik called gently and Jeonghan shook his head to shake it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sorry, where was I…”</span>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He got distracted a handful of more times before he clocked what it was.  Rut.  Early.  And unwelcome.  “Ravi-hyung, I’m sorry, I have to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan smiled, “Yeah, just biological stuff, I messed up timings.  Can we reschedule?  I have a schedule abroad next week, maybe the week after?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Comprehension dawned and Ravi nodded, a faint blush dusting his cheeks—betas could be so sensitive sometimes.  "I'll text you  Tell Mingyu-ya I said hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan nodded and gathered his things, only realising when he was around the corner from the dorms what he’d meant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan grabbed a banana and made a pot of tea, texting managers and anyone he was supposed to meet over the next few days with a ‘Sorry, Rut’ sort of excuse, and getting a steady stream of ‘No worries, say hi to Gyu for me’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As far as Jeonghan knew, Mingyu was working all weekend.  And they weren’t dating.  He sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua walked through the kitchen, “Are you—?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, early, I’m sorry—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, don’t be, do you want scenting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t be as effective as an omega, but it would help.  And Jeonghan didn’t want to call Mingyu away from his schedule.  Really didn’t.  He’d been planning to go home.  Damn it.  “Are you sure?”  He'd had fun rut plans goddamn it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua just smiled gently, “Of course.  Give me half an hour and then I’m yours for your rut.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to, are you really sure?  I’ll be fine on my own, promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely.  I have some readings I want to catch up on anyway, and I’ve to remake Jun’s bracelet.  And I get to reek of you—we have that thing next week with the alpha hosts that I hate?  This will be great—” Joshua stepped closer, grazing the inside of his wrist over Jeonghan’s cheek, “I love smelling of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan ducked his head but couldn’t contain the loud, pleased rumble at that.  Joshua petted the curve of his ear gently before turning and leaving the room.  </span>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan apologised about seven times when Joshua locked the door behind him, setting a bag of things down beside the bed and sitting down beside him.  Joshua just hummed quietly and pressed his wrist to Jeonghan’s chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan took that as blanket permission to be semi-awful, and pushed Joshua down onto the covers, nosing his way down his chest and rucking up Joshua’s shirt to just press his nose against the soft skin of Joshua’s stomach and inhale.  He knew Joshua was a beta—and they weren't going to do anything but sleep—but his instincts practically demanded that he scent for certain things.  A healthy womb for one.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his instincts didn’t particularly care when he didn’t find one, just calmed a little, at least it was a healthy absence.  Jeonghan stayed there, comfortable and soothed.  The soft, powdery scent combined with Joshua’s perfume was just relaxing, and after a while, Jeonghan went boneless.  Joshua put his hand in Jeonghan’s hair tentatively, and then when Jeonghan rumbled quietly, the vibrations reverberating through the beta, he scratched gently at his scalp, running his fingers through the strands and pulling out tangles.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan fell asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He woke to an omega in the room, and his fangs slipped down, turning to face the intruder before he even opened his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alpha, it’s only me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan put his teeth away, running his tongue over them and raising an eyebrow at Mingyu, “You’re busy this weekend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone told my manager you were in rut.  And all of a sudden I got two days off.  I figured if I was off, I may as well scent you, but hyung seems to have it well in hand?” Mingyu had an interesting expression on his face, and Jeonghan didn’t waste time trying to decode it.  His fangs were threatening to come back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat up, instinctively shielding Joshua, who was humming quietly, a constant buzzing that licked at the edges of Jeonghan’s brain.  “I don’t know why people think we’re mated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua’s humming modulated and Mingyu smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Mingyu-ya, I think Alpha and I will be fine.” Jeonghan swung his head back to look at the beta, careful, wary.  He’d never called him alpha before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu laughed and opened the door, “I’ll drop in food okay?  Yell if you need anything.”  And locked it behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beta?” Jeonghan’s voice was almost a growl and Joshua blinked slowly, tilting his head to one side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you sleep well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan moved up the bed to drape himself on top of Joshua, nuzzling into his neck.  He’d ask about the title later, he decided.  Now, he wanted to sleep again.  “Yes, your stomach smells so soft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua laughed and wrapped an arm around Jeonghan’s waist, “Thank you, alpha.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan closed his eyes again and drifted off quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Cúig</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gyu-ya we have stylists, I just wear what they tell me isn’t hideous, do we have to go shopping?” Jeonghan asked after the third boutique with a name he couldn’t pronounce and prices that would make his dam faint.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu just turned around and pouted.  “But Alpha, you promised me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan sighed.  He had promised him.  Mingyu had been on three courting dates recently, his sire was hopeful he’d meet his scent match in Seoul, but they’d all been… mediocre.  Or turned off by his career.  Or turned </span>
  <em>
    <span>on</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  Mingyu hadn’t been sure which was worse.  Either way, he’d been moping around the house for too long and Jeonghan was not okay with that.  So here they were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You promised you’d let me burn those hideous pants and that you’d buy at least ten nice, Mingyu-approved outfits.  You’re lucky I got to you before Minghao-ya, he’s itching to take five of your shirts and rip them to shreds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not that bad.  At least I have variety.  And things match.  And I’ll have you know, I get lots of compliments—” Jeonghan was cut off as Mingyu pushed him inside another boutique and towards a dressing room.  “Do I not even get to browse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But those green tops look nice–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu sighed and barely stopped himself from dragging a hand through his well coiffed hair, “Alpha, they’re omega wear.  The last time you bought something for yourself it was seven sizes too small.  Just go in there and wait for me to hand you things.”  He pointed and Jeonghan went, setting all the bags down and checking the time.  He hated shopping for himself.  Shopping for other people was fun, he got to think about their reactions and what suited what they owned and what they’d want for themselves but would never buy.  Shopping for himself was a chore, and really, when most of the stuff he wore in public was handed to him by an assistant, why did he need to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you need to develop a personal style, alpha.  You can’t just wear what you’re told to.  Hao and I get to wear what we want to most things, when was the last time you weren’t asked to change?” Mingyu popped his head into the dressing room and handed him three hangers.  “Try these on.  And think about what your sister would say.  Or your sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan hung the tops up and looked at them.  Oh for the love of God— “Mingyu-ya?  I’m not wearing any of these.  I don’t need to scream my dynamic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank God.  I thought you were really just going to wear anything.  Try these.” Mingyu swapped them out for five new ones.  Jeonghan watched, bemused.  Sneaky omega.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried them on, one was too tight, one was too ruffly but the other three were great.  All were oversized, a pastel purple that would go well with … most things that he’d bought for himself.  One was a deep blue cashmere that felt like a cloud, and the third was some sort of colour block patchwork hoodie.  He wanted all three.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have these three.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu popped his head back in, taking them off him with a weird expression. “Okay.  Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you wanted me to get trousers?” Jeonghan asked, eyebrows raised, they’d spent nearly an hour in all the other shops.  He gathered his things anyway, Mingyu was rarely so direct.  Mingyu shook his head and took all the bags while Jeonghan paid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do we get taken for a couple all the time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah.  Jeonghan followed Mingyu out of the shop and ushered him into a café around the corner.  “Because people are stupid.  Now, sit down and let hyung get you coffee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan placed the steaming mug down in front of Mingyu and wrapped his hands around his own, “Who said what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of the shop assistants asked why I was calling my omega ‘alpha’.”  Mingyu whispered and Jeonghan rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was she nose blind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You bought the omegean jumpers, alpha~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I prefer softer colours and warmer clothes.  I get cold.  And they’re nicer.”  He hadn’t realised it was the omega label, but he wasn’t exactly surprised.  The stylists tended to exclusively put him in omegean stuff, and put Mingyu in alphean stuff.  To try and deflect he supposed.  Being an idol made you immune to certain things.  He’d gotten used to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why am I so big?  Why do people always assume I’m an alpha?” Mingyu whispered again and Jeonghan?  Well he absolutely couldn’t let that stand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause people have weird stereotypes about what alphas and omegas should be and how they </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> act.  That’s on them, not on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu stared into his coffee and Jeonghan hooked his ankle around his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that why the dates didn’t work out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of the reasons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to go home and nest?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.  Drink up and we’ll go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And if Jeonghan scented Mingyu liberally to stop the stares on the way home, then it was only because he was being a good hyung and a good alpha and making Mingyu feel safe and supported.  And if he practically bundled Mingyu into his nest before going off to whip up some lunch, then he was only taking care of his friend, his dongsaeng and the omega in his care.  He pulled down the projector that Mingyu had gotten him for his birthday and put on a film, curling around Mingyu and letting him scrunch up as small as he possibly could be.  Mingyu would find his scent match.  And they’d either be tiny, as tall or taller than Gyu.  Jeonghan would settle for them being nice.  Settle for them loving Gyu as much as they possibly could and being loved back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>A Sé</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan rumbled quietly against Joshua’s neck, the two of them squished into one of the armchairs by the window.  Joshua was trailing fingers over Jeonghan’s back repetitively, his nose pressed against Jeonghan’s gland, breathing him in.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a Friday.  It had been a long week.  They did usually scent, but normally it was a Sunday thing.  Best friend time.  But this week Joshua’d snagged Jeonghan straight out of a shower and followed him around until they could spend an hour nose to neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Jeonghan had progressed to tiny laps and Joshua let his head thunk back against the headrest.  Jeonghan rumbled, pleased, and patted around for one of Joshua’s hands to rub his fingers against the gland on his wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just overwhelmed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan let him away with it, moving on to his other wrist and switching sides of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worried?  Cheol is getting more and more irritated and I don’t want this to stop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t,” Jeonghan pulled back, thumbs stopping Joshua’s scent from leaking out.  “He can’t do that.  He’s all bark.  ‘Sides, it's mainly me and Mingyu that he has the issue with anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua twitched and Jeonghan huffed, going back to his scent gland, “So impatient.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alpha?”  Mingyu tripped into the room and Jeonghan pulled back sharply, thumbs back on Joshua’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re busy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re sure?” Jeonghan eyed him and sniffed, “You smell upset?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can wait.  Can you scent me after?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua hissed quietly and Jeonghan darted a look between them.  “I guess not.  What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you please scent me?”  Mingyu curled into the couch beside them and Jeonghan cupped his hands tightly around Joshua’s steadily leaking scent glands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joshua hasn’t done me yet, wait til I finish him and I’ll do you quickly okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shua?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you must.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan nodded, and gave Mingyu one last searching look before turning back to Joshua and lapping up the dripping scent, replacing it slowly with his own.  Joshua had very particular scenting tastes.  Eventually he finished, Joshua smelling delightfully marked, and blinking at him through hooded eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I scent Mingyu-ya now, beta?” Jeonghan asked quietly, and Joshua nodded, waving a hand in Mingyu’s general direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan swung his legs off the chair and made to stand up only to be yanked back down with a hiss and a quiet, “I haven’t marked you yet everything feels wrong, please don’t move.”  Jeonghan resettled himself and whispered reassurances until Joshua stopped hissing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mingyu-ya, can you come here?  I’ll have to be quick, I’m sorry—” Jeonghan couldn’t quite give Mingyu his full attention when Joshua was acting so weirdly, but he tried his best, rubbing scent off his wrists into Mingyu’s main scent glands methodically.  “What’s wrong? Tell alpha.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have another courtship date on Sunday.  And I don’t want to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a Yoon?  I wasn’t given the first name.  Just a date and a time and a place.  I hate this.  Granddam is getting so overbearing.” Mingyu sighed and Jeonghan frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to ring and find out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could you?  I don’t know how many more of these I can take.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can always ask for a break.  She can’t expect you to find them in two months.  And besides, you’re promised.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s found his scent match.  Nobody will tell me anything, alpha, can you ask?” Mingyu whined and Jeonghan nodded, pulling away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll ring home later.  Feel better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thanks.  Sorry, Shua-hyung.” Mingyu half-smiled half-bowed and Joshua shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Gyu-ya.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan turned back to him—once Mingyu had left—with a raised eyebrow, “It most certainly was not okay, I’ve never felt you so tense in my entire life, what’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really stupid,” Joshua started, rearranging them so he was perched in Jeonghan’s lap, “But I got it into my mind that you were courting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan pursed his lips and tilted his neck, letting Joshua at it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really stupid.  But you had these matching dynamic jumpers last week and carat went mad and it hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will go courting eventually, Shua.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua nipped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan winced, “Shua?  You’re really starting to worry me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I really not an option because I’m a beta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan stilled, catching Joshua’s wrists in his own and tilting his head back to centre to look at him.  What was he talking about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joshua?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are scent compatible, your scent stays on my skin for days.  And I bet the only think you can think is ‘but we wouldn’t be able to have children’.  Alphas, all the same.”  Joshua slid back and was halfway off the armchair before Jeonghan tugged him back in and let his scent ooze out and wrap them both in a soothing bubble.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joshua, I didn’t know you felt that way?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I coat you in my scent every weekend and we spent your last rut together, Han what else do I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Use your words?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah like dynamics use their words.”  Joshua scoffed and looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have courting dates and introduction dates and most things go through our grandparents.  We most certainly do use our words.  Scenting is just scenting and I think every single beta and omega in my pack has spent a rut with me, or a heat.  It’s just life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua looked at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joshua, you’re my best </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”  He meant to be gentler.  He did.  But really, scenting and a rut did not a relationship make and seriously, where was this coming from?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua just sighed and finished scenting Jeonghan.  He pulled back.  “I’m going to need time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.  And I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joshua nodded and left the room, leaving Jeonghan to ponder after him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damn it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<h2>
  <em>
    <span>+ One</span>
  </em>
</h2><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Granddam—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not, little alpha, absolutely not.  Just because you’re famous now?  Absolutely not.  You are coming home this weekend—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m busy this weekend—”  Jeonghan turned into the car door, Mingyu was smirking at him, damn it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh so now you hold no tack with our traditions?  With your heritage?  With your place in this pack?  You will come home this weekend, you will come home for the weekend, and you will meet these omegas, like the grandpup of mine that you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant, I didn’t mean—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your cousin is settled now!  You’re the only alpha left untied.  So get yourself home this weekend or else you won’t like my plans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeonghan,” Jeonghan fell silent when she used his given name, “I am your granddam.  You are little and you will do as you’re told.  Do you hear me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I hear you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I expect well thought out courting gifts—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jeonghan blanched, “In two days?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well thought out ideas for courting gifts, then.  Your dam and I have two already.  You’ve gotten away with this for long enough.  You know the rules, scent match by 25 or we set something up for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, thank you, grandamma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be good to have you home, even if it’s just for a little while.  We’ve all missed you.  And do try to smell of yourself, alphaling, just for your homecoming.”  His grandam's voice went warm and fond and Jeonghan relaxed a little, it would be okay.  His parents knew him well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Jeonghan hung up, Mingyu leaned across the car to pat his knee, “You’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know, I just thought I’d meet someone, you know?”</span>
</p><p>"Tell me about it."  Mingyu had yet to meet his own, and his pack were frantically searching for a new betrothed after the last one had gone and gotten mated.</p><p>"I'm sort of excited though?  When I was little, Dam used to tell me about how she met my sire.  How it had been her fifteenth meeting and his third and how he'd frozen in the doorway and forgotten how to do anything until his sire closed it behind him and practically booted him into the room.  He was a mess, all over the place, spilt tea and milk and dropped her gift three times, but how she couldn't stop smiling and after he'd made every mistake he could possibly make, neither could he.  And then when I was a little older, Sire told me how they built their relationship like a house—" Jeonghan looked out the window, smile playing over his lips, "With trust, and tradition, and belief and hope, and then eventually, after lots of work, and compromise, with love.  And then with me.  And my sister.  But how a match isn't a death sentence, it's a freedom of sorts."</p><p>Mingyu nudged him, "Sounds like you're ready?"</p><p>"Yeah.  Yeah, I think I am."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Walking into the room that had been so specially prepared, Jeonghan wasn't expecting to see a familiar head of hair sitting in the armchair.  He stopped walking.</p><p>"Alpha?"</p><p>He started again, feeling the breeze as the doors clicked shut behind him.  "I had no idea—"</p><p>"Either did I, I mean, Damma said I was meeting another Yoon, but—"</p><p>"What do you think?"</p><p>"Build it like a house, hyung?"</p><p>Jeonghan sat down and placed the carefully wrapped box into Mingyu's lap.  "Build it like a house."



</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>That was a thing.  Comments, rage filled missives and applause are all accepted with thanks at the following addresses:</p><p>The comment box just one scroll below this note... yes that one!<br/><a href="https://curiouscat.qa/MurderRose">Curious Cat</a> where you can be wonderfully anonymous!<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/RoseEnDiamant">Or Twitter</a>: Either in the delightful DM section, where you're almost <em>guaranteed</em> a response within 24 hours, or on the main page where you are invited to tag me in any woe-filled rants—they do fill me with glee and abject satisfaction.</p><p> </p><p>Your, thorny but slightly wilted,<br/>Rose x</p></blockquote></div></div>
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